Paint can support for ladders



i 1954 A. w. wooowA'Ro ET AL 2,674,427

PAINT CAN SUPPORT FOR LADDERS Filed May 17, 1950 IN VEN TOR.

WILLIAM G. MILLIGAN BY ALVA W. WOODWARD A TTOR/VE Y5 Patented Apr. 6, 1954 UNITED STATS OFFICE PAINT CAN SUPPORT FOR LADDERS Alva W. Woodward, Kent, and William G. Milligan, Akron, Ohio 4.- Claims. 1

This invention relates to supports or holders for carrying paint cans and the like on the side of a ladder and, more particularly, is concerned with an improved holder of this type capable of use on either side of a rung type ladder or stepladder.

Heretofore, various hangers or other supports for paint cans have been particularly designed and constructed for carrying the paint can on a ladder. However, so far as we are aware, such known supports are open to various objections including high initial cost, difficulty of attaching to or removing from a ladder often necessitating two hands to do this job, awkwardness of positioning the paint can at the center and between the uprights of the ladder so that the paint bucket is diflicult to reach with the brush or the ladder cannot be readily climbed be cause the paint bucket and support are in the way, and finally known devices in many instances have not held the paint can adequately against tipping or spilling. Furthermore, many known ladder supports for paint cans make no provision to carry a paint brush or brushes, cannot be employed on stepladders, and often not on ex tension ladders, and the support must be carried separate from the paint can when mounting or demounting from the ladder.

It is the general object of our invention to avoid and overcome the foregoing and other difficulties of and objections to known structures of the type described by the provision of an improved, relatively inexpensive, but durable and long-lived holder or support for paint cans and capable'of being applied with one hand to either side of a rung type ladder or a stepladder.

Another object of our invention is to provide a paint can holder for supporting a paint can or the like on a ladder and in which the holder is provided with a pick-up bail which. can be grasped simultaneously with the bail of a gallon paint can or a single hand of a painter to carry and support both a paint can in the holder and the holder itself for movement up and down a ladder, and with the holder quickly slipping in inexpensive manner to provide a durable and high quality product at a minimum of price.

Another object of our invention is the provision of a paint can holder as described characterized by the provision of an associated plat form for supporting one or more brushes.

The foregoing objects of our invention, and other objects which will become apparent as the description proceeds, are achieved by the provision of a paint can h lder including a hanger having a flat leg portion adapted to extend substantially horizontally, the leg having a downwardly opening slot formed with a re-entrant locking tongue and adapted to hook over the rung of a ladder with the re-entrant tongue looking behind and beneath the rung, and a paint can receiving shelf carried by the hanger. Usually the hanger is made in the form of a U from sheet metal, the legs of the U of the hanger having the downwardly opening slot or slots as described, and preferably the slot on each leg opens out at its bottom to a size to adapt it to hook over a stepladder step and having a reentrant tongue locking behind and beneath the stepladder step. The hanger as described generally includes an oppositely positioned U-shaped sheet metal frame, the ends of the legs of the frame being secured to the base of the hanger near the legs of the hanger, and with the base of each of the hanger and frame forming substantially two sides of a hexagon, and the legs of the frame forming the other two sides, and with the legs of the hanger extending parallel to but spaced from the sides of the frame. Downwardly extending straps secured to the legs of the frame are provided to support a platform secured to the lower ends of the straps,this platform being adapted to receive brushes, and the platform having a lug extending outwardly from the platform beneath each hanger leg and adapted to look behind the ladder uprights or side rails. When the platform is employed in the manner described, a paint can support shelf is secured to extend between the straps in upwardly spaced relation from the platform, and a bail may extend between the hanger and frame so that the entire holder can be picked up and carried in one hand.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference should. be had to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the improved holder of our invention, and with the holder being illustrated as supported upon the side of 'a rung type ladder which is partially broken away and shown in chain-dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the holder of the invention as applied to a step ladder, portions of the step ladder being illustrated in section and the remainder thereof being broken away; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of an adapter for use with a step ladder, the major portion of the step ladder being broken away.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the numeral Ill indicates generally a U-shaped hanger made from heavy sheet metal and having substantially horizontally directed leg portions I2 and base I4. Each leg I2 of the hanger is provided with a downwardly opening slot I6 adapted to receive the rung I8 of a conventional rung type ladder. The slot I6 is usually provided with a re-entrant tongue 20 which fits behind and beneath the rung I8 of the ladder to assist in locking the hanger leg I2 on the rung. It will be understood that the slot I6 is of such width that the tongue 20 will slide by the rung I8, with the hanger I and leg I2 then being pulled forwardly to position the tongue behind and beneath the rung.

The bottoms of the slot IB are widened out at 22, or it might be said that an extra downwardly extending finger portion 24 i provided at the end of each leg I2 so that the legs I2 can also fit over the step 26 of a step ladder, in the manner shown in Fig. 2, with the finger 24 extending around the back edge of the step ladder step. The finger 24 is also provided with a re-entrant tongue 28 which is adapted to fit behind and beneath the back edge of the step ladder step to thereby assist in locking the hanger on the step ladder step.

Mounted on the hanger I0 is a frame, indicated as a whole by the numeral 30, and which is likewise made of fairly heavy sheet metal and is of U-shape. The legs 32 of the frame 30 are secured to the hanger I0, and by spot welding, at points adiacent the joinder of the legs I2 with the bottom I 4 of the hanger I0. It will be noted that the legs 32 of the frame 30 are thus positioned parallel to the legs I2 of the hange ID, the space between the legs being just slightly greater than the normal thickness of the upright or side portion 36 of the rung type ladder shown in Fig. 1 so that the hanger III and frame 30 of the paint bucket .support adequately grip and are carried by the sides 36 of the ladder when the slot I6 of leg I2 is positioned over and around a rung I8 of the ladder.

We have found that it is definitely advantageous to shape the base I4 of the hanger I0 roughly to the shape of two sides of a hexagon,

with the base of the frame 30 forming two other sides, and with the legs 32 of the frame forming the final two sides. This has the advantage that construction is simplified, introduction and removal of a gallon can or several quart cans in the opening is rendered easier.

Extending downwardly from the frame 30, and usuall from the legs 32 of the frame are straps or other means 38 which are welded or otherwise secured to the frame, with the straps 38 having a platform 4!! secured at their lower ends, with this platform 4-0 functioning to support one or more paint brushes in the holder. Flanges 42 may be bent up at opposite end portions of the platform to additionally assist in holding the brushes on the platform during the handling of the holder.

An important feature of the invention is that the platform is formed with a laterally directed lug 44 which extends outwardly beneath each leg I2 of the hanger I 0, this lug 44 being adapted to look behind the upright or side 35 of the ladder to perform the very important function of preventing tilting of the holder in use. However, it is to be recognized that the weight of the holder is carried from the hanger legs I2 which are quite near the top of the assembly. The lug 44 also performs the function that when the holder i employed with a step ladder, the lug 44 does not engage behind the side upright of the step ladder, but rather engages with the side of the upright to assist in compensating for the fact that the side upright of the step ladder is thinner than the side or upright of the conventional rung type ladder. Tilting of the holder when employed with a step ladder is largely prevented by the wider bearing surface between each arm I 2 of the hanger and the flat top of the step 26 of the step ladder, in the manne shown in Fig. 2.

It is also possible to provide an adapter 50, as seen in Fig. 3, when our improved holder is employed with a step ladder, this adapter tending to increase the lateral thickness of the upright 52 of the step ladder in the manner shown, and with the adapter carrying a round plug 54 over which the slot I6 fits in the same manner as it does with a rung type ladder. The adapter 50 is provided with a flange 56 which extends along the back of the upright 52 of the step ladder.

Mounted above the platform 40 of the holder and in a position parallel to the platform are shelf members 60 which are secured to the ver tically extending straps 38, the shelf members 60 serving to receive and support a paint or other bucket 62 in the manner seen in Fig. 2. A full gallon-size bucket ordinarily can be received, this bucket being provided usually with a bail 64. Our improved holder is also provided with a bail, indicated by the numeral 66, this bail extending between the base I4 of the hanger Ill and the base of the frame 30, and with the bail being of such length so that when it is moved up to the position shown in Fig. l, the bail of the holder lies substantially in the same position as the bail 64 of the paint bucket, and both bails can be grasped simultaneously by a single hand of the painter so as to simultaneously carry and support both the paint bucket and the holder.

From the foregoing, it will be recognized that the various objects of our invention have been achieved by the provision of an improved, simplified, and inexpensive holder adapted to be employed on either side of either a rung type ladder or a step ladder. It will be recognized that a painter can carry our improved support, with a paint bucket therein, up a ladder and with a single hand carrying the holder, and with the other hand grasping the ladder, the leg I2 can be slid into its proper association with either a ladder rung I8 or a stepladder step 26. The thinness of the leg I2 of the hanger portion of the holder makes it possible to employ our improved holder with an extension type ladder, the thin leg passing between the side or upright portions of the two parts of the extension ladder. When the holder is mounted on one side of the ladder, one leg I 2 is used, and when it is mounted on the other side of the ladder, the opposite leg I2 of the hanger is used.

While, in accord with the patent statutes, we have specifically illustrated and described certain best known embodiments of our invention, it is to be particularly understood that we are not to be limited thereto or thereby, but that the scope of our invention is defined in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

l. A paint can and brush holder for rung and step ladders including a U-shaped sheet metal hanger, each leg of the hanger having a downwardly opening slot formed with a re-entrant locking tongue and adapted to hook over the rung of a ladder with the re-entrant tongue locking behind and beneath the rung, the slot opening out at its bottom to a size to adapt it to hook over a step ladder step from the front thereof and having the re-entrant tongue locking behind and beneath the step ladder step, an oppositely-positioned U-shaped sheet metal frame, the ends of the legs of the frame being secured to the base of the hanger near the legs of the hanger, the base of each of the hanger and frame forming substantially two sides of a hexagon, and the legs of the frame forming the other two sides, downwardly extending straps secured to the legs of the frame, a platform secured to the lower ends of the straps and adapted to receive brushes, a lug extending outwardly from the platform beneath each hanger leg and adapted to lock behind the ladder upright, a paint can support shelf extending between the straps spaced upwardly from the platform, and a bail extending between the hanger and frame.

2. A paint can and brush holder for rung and step ladders including a U-shaped sheet metal hanger, each leg of the hanger having a downwardly opening slot formed with a ire-entrant locking tongue and adapted to hook over the rung of a ladder from the front thereof with the re-entrant tongue locking behind and be heath the rung, an oppositely positioned U- shaped sheet metal frame, the ends of the legs of the frame being secured to the base of the hanger near the legs of the hanger, the base of each of the hanger and frame forming substantially two sides of a hexagon, and the legs of the frame forming the other two sides, downwardly extending straps secured to the legs of the frame, a platform secured to the lower ends of the straps and adapted to receive brushes, a lug extending outwardly from the platform beneath each hanger leg and adapted to look behind the ladder upright, a paint can support shelf extending between the straps spaced upwardly from the platform, and a bail extending between the hanger and frame.

3. A paint can and brush holder for rung and step ladders including a U-shaped sheet metal hanger, each leg of the hanger having a downwardly opening slot formed with a re-entrant locking tongue and adapted to hook over the rung of a ladder from the front thereof with the re-entrant tongue locking behind and beneath the rung, the slot opening out at its bottom to a size to adapt it to hook over a step ladder step and having the re-entrant tongue locking behind and beneath the step ladder step, an oppositely positioned U-shaped sheet metal frame, the ends of the legs of the frame being secured to the base of the hanger near the legs of the hanger, downwardly extending straps secured to the legs of the frame, a platform secured to the lower ends of the straps and adapted to receive brushes, a lug extending outwardly from the platform beneath each hanger leg and adapted to lock behind the ladder upright, a paint can support shelf extending between the straps spaced upwardly from the platform, and a bail extending between the hanger and frame.

4. A paint can holder for rung and step ladders including a U-shaped sheet metal hanger, each leg of the hanger having a downwardly opening slot formed with a re-entrant locking tongue and adapted to hook over the rung of a ladder with the re-entrant tongue locking behind and beneath the rung, the slot opening out at its bottom to a size to adapt it to hook over a step ladder step and having the re-entrant tongue looking behind and beneath the step ladder step, the holder having only one leg engaging a ladder at one time with the holder protruding laterally from the ladder, an oppositely positioned U- shaped sheet metal frame, the ends of the legs of the frame being secured to the base of the hanger near the legs of the hanger, the base of each of the hanger and frame forming substantially two sides of a hexagon, and the legs of the frame forming the other two sides, downwardly extending straps secured to the legs of the frame, a platform secured to the lower ends of the straps, and a lug extending outwardly from the platform beneath each hanger leg and adapted to lock behind the ladder upright.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,551,243 Dick Aug. 25, 1925 1,593,043 Stroecker July 20, 1926 2,318,930 Dietrich May 11, 1943 2,412,567 Dodd Dec. 17, 1946 2,498,944 Dyer Feb. 28, 1950 

